Along the way, I acquired a couple of degrees; a file of published articles, fiction and poetry; and a wife, Bonnie, of sweet spirit and endless joy. And I've gained a new love, Britnye, a granddaughter who breached my defenses and captured my heart without a shot being fired. She's a real Jersey girl, who at 21 months much prefers tomatoes and pasta to sweets.
More than five years ago, when my peripatetic career brought me home to South Jersey, I was startled to find what a hold the place had on my heart. Where others saw sprawl, I saw good folks squeezing out a living in struggling businesses. Where they saw the turnpike and refineries, I saw farms and the Pinelands.
My wife, a coal miner's daughter from a small town in southern Illinois, loved it as well. We began to expect that we would be here for our retirement.
But the wheel of life has turned, and that is not to be. And, no, this is not an obit. I am not dying of the heartbreak of hangnail, so put away the hankies. I've been offered a new professional challenge, a high-risk, high-reward opportunity to make a difference managing a troubled organization. So we are off to a new adventure, a thousand miles away.
While this challenging opportunity was too good to pass up, it is certainly a mixed blessing. I will miss working for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, who are among the most caring and dedicated people anyone could wish to associate with.
Bonnie and I shall miss the fresh corn, ripe blueberries and Jersey tomatoes from the farm stands along our country roads. We will miss strolling the boardwalk in Ocean City and canoeing the Egg Harbor River.
We'll miss the Berlin Farmer's Market and the Elmer Auction, not to mention access to the fine selection of clothing at the Goodwill store and Thrift Village in Glassboro. We'll miss Rowan football games and Knight Park in Collingswood.
